It is known that fasteners are used in various applications to perform various functions. It is further known that numerous types of fasteners are used in various automotive applications. A common fastener that is widely used throughout a vehicle is known as a routing clip. Routing clips are used to secure and hold together tubes, wires, cords, cable bundles, rods, springs, or bolts to a vehicle. In the automotive industry, these routing clips may be used under the hood or inside panels of the vehicle.
Many routing clips exist in various shapes and sizes. Many clips are made using multiple materials and are formed using various molding techniques, such as a two-shot mold process or transfer molding where one material (e.g., thermoplastic elastomer) is over-molded onto a plastic substrate, for example. It is also known that routing clips may be made of a single material. It is further known that routing clips may include expandable openings for mounting tubes, wires, cords, cable bundles, rods, springs or bolts, for example, to the vehicle. The expandable openings will permit the tube, wire, cord, etc. to snap fit to the routing clip.
There are however known drawbacks with existing routing clips. For instance, the known routing clips require a large surface area of the clip to be in contact with the tube, wire, cord, etc. in order to function properly and to reduce undesirable vibration noise. Other known drawbacks also exist.
The present invention is directed at overcoming these and other known drawbacks and in particular the need for the clip to have a large surface area to be in contact with the tube, wire, cord, etc. The clip of the invention also reduces undesirable vibration noise, while still providing a cost savings by using a single material to form the clip.